Yarn creel and other apparatus



March 28, 1939. POOL 2,152,210

YARN CREEL AND OTHER ,AFPARATUS Filed April 15, 1937 WILLIAM POOL HWENTOR A77'ORNEYS Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE YARN GREEL AND OTHER APPARATUS corporation of Delaware Application April 15, 1937, SerialNo. 137,037

In Great Britain May 6, 1936 9 Claims.

This invention relates to textile machinery, and in particular to creels such as are used for the supply of warp mills or other apparatus where a single package is fed from a number of bobbins simultaneously. A creel according to the invention is arranged to accommodate flanged bobbins, spools, cheeses, cones, or other packages, and to provide for the unwinding of the threads by a rotation of the packages.

10 According to one feature of the invention bearings are provided for the upper and lower ends of spindles adapted to receive the packages so as to enable these to rotate about a vertical axis. Since both ends of the package spindles are supported, very free rotation is afforded, which enables the thread under the pull of the warping mill or other device to rotate the package easily and without danger of excessive tension being developed. The ends of the spindles are preferably formed as hardened conical points adapted to engage suitably shaped cups for free rotation.

A further feature of the invention consists in mounting one or both of the cups in a spring holder to enable the spindle carrying the package to be snapped into position, and there held for free rotation about the vertical axis. Guide means may be provided in connection with one or both cups to permit the spindle to be readily slipped into position.

Another feature of the invention comprises a thread guide arranged for free vertical movement just clear of the periphery of the package, the thread being led from the package through the guide to a position over the package, so that during unwinding the guide is caused to traverse up and down and lead the thread smoothly from the package, an arrangement that is of special advantage when the package is flanged. In cases where two or more threads are wound together 40 upon a singlebobbin a sliding guide may conveniently be provided for each thread to facilitate the separation of the threads during the unwinding and prevent entanglement.

A further feature of the invention comprises 5 means for rapidly stopping the rotation of the package whenever the pull of the thread ceases, for instance when winding stops or when the thread breaks. Thus, over-running of the package and the consequent entanglement of the 5 thread are avoided. Conveniently the threadsupported guide is used for this purpose, there being provided a projection rotating with the package into the path of which the guide falls when the thread becomes slack or breaks. For 5 instance, the projection may be formed on a base .ing drawing and in connection with a creel suitz portion of the spindle on which the package sits; thus two or more such projections may be formed round the periphery of the base so that one of these engages the guide (or a projection from the guide) after a very small rotation of 5 the package following the fall of the guide.

The package may fit relatively freely on the spindle, a friction washer of felt or like material being interposed between the lower end of the package and the base of the spindle so as to 10 enable the spindle to be driven by the rotation of the package- When the base of the spindle is prevented from rotating'as described above, the package can continue its rotation only until'its kinetic energy is dissipated by the friction be- 15 tween the package and the washer, so that the package is brought to rest after a slight over-run.

The invention will now be described with greater detail with reference to the accompanyable for the accommodation of a large number of flanged bobbins such as is necessary for the 'formationof a beam section or the building up of a warp on .awarping mill.

In the drawing:

Fig; 1 is an elevation of a part of the creel;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of part of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial elevation of Fig. 1 showing the lower spindle bearing and guide member;

. 30 Fig. 4 is an enlarged part plan view of Fig. l,

7 showing two guides for a single bobbin;

Fig. 5 is apart plan view of a creel showing a number of bobbin mountings;

Fig. 6 is a part plan view showing an arrangement of a number of creels supplying a common warping mill, g

The creel framework consists of a pair of vertical channel irons I connected by a series of light channel irons 2 disposed at a vertical distance apart somewhat in excess of the over-all length of the bobbins to be accommodated. Flat strips S are secured by means of rivets 4 to the lowerflanges of the channels 2 at intervals along the length of the latter. The strips 3 project horizontally to each side of the channel 2 to form extensions 5 and 6, the extension 6 projecting a greater distance than the projection 5. Each suc cessive strip 3 throughout the length of the creel has its longer projection 6 on the opposite side of the channel 2 to the previous strip. Further flat strips 1 are secured by rivets 8' to the upper flanges of the channels 2 at intervals along the length of the latter and project an equal distance to each side of the channels 2, the distance being equal to the projections 5 of the strips 3. The strips 3 of an upper channel 2 and the strips I of a lower channel provide support for bearing cups 9 in which the spindles I 0 rotate, one bearing cup 9 being secured to the shorter projecting portion 5 of the strip 3 and the other bearing cup 9 being secured to the portion of the strip I immediately below the portion 5. The portion 5 of the strip 3 is formed of springy material, to allow the spindle to snap into position. Guide plates I I are secured to the projecting portions of the strips 3 and l on the appropriate side of the channel 2 to facilitate the insertion of the spindles and to ensure that the spindles are properlyengaged by the bearing cups.

The diameter of the spindles I0 is slightly less than the diameter of the bore of the bobbins so that the spindles enter the bores of the bobbins quite freely. The spindles II] are provided at each end with hardened steel cone points I2 which engage with the bearing cups 9. Each spindle I0 is provided with a base I3 substantially the same in diameter as the bobbin flange and a friction washer I4 of felt or like material is interposed between the bobbin and the base I3.

The portions 6 of the strips 3 and the portions of the strips I immediately below the portions 6 are connected by a pair of vertical rods I5 and I 6 lying just clear of the bobbin periphery. A thread guide I I, in the form of a porcelain hook, is carried by a support I8, which is formed from a length of wire which is first twisted round the stem of the hook II leaving two ends, one of which passes round one side of the rod I5 and the other round the other side. The two ends are then twisted into two loops I9 and 20 round the rod I6. The Whole support I8 carrying the guide I! isthus free to move up and down the rod I6 while at the same time being prevented from rotating about this rod by its engagement with the rod I5.

The part of the wire support I8 which connects the two loops I9 and 20 is bent outwardly from the rod I6 and towards the centre of the spindle to form a projection -2I long enough to come into the path of a pair of projections 22 formed on the base I3 of the spindle.

The longer projecting portions 6 of the strips 3 at a point vertically above the guide H are punched out to form tongues 23 which provide a support for a horizontal porcelain guide 24. The thread A from a bobbin is passed through the hook of the guide I1 and: upwards over or round the horizontal guide 24 to one'of a series of eyes 25 formed in a horizontal projecting plate 26 carried by the vertical channel iron I at one end of the creel. The various guides may with advantage be made from unglazed porcelain when low twist continuous filament threads are being handled.

The guide I! is traversed up and down the rods I5 and I6 during the course of unwinding of the thread A from the bobbin, so that if the pull of the thread ceases, for instance when Winding stops or when the thread breaks, especially at a point remote from the bobbin, the guide I! falls to the bottom of the rods I5 and I6. When the guide I! is in this position the projections 22 on the base 13 cannot pass the projection 2| on the guide support I8 and the spindle is prevented from rotating. When bobbins are used which have two or more threads wound together, two or more hooks I! are provided, as shown in Fig. 4, one for each thread B and C, the guide supports I8 and the vertical rods I5 and I6 being likewise duplicated.

The friction washer I4 is made of felt or like material and allows the spindle ID to be frictionally driven by the rotation of the package. When the spindle is prevented from rotating, as described above, the frictional resistance of the Washer I4 acts as a brake on the base of the package, which is rapidly brought to rest.

From the horizontal guide 24 to the eye 25 in the end plate 26 the thread passes horizontally at a height above the bobbin so that all the threads lie clear of the bobbins and permit any bobbin to be readily removed from, or replaced in, the bearing cups 9. The extensions 6 of the horizontal strips 3 support the threads when they become slack and a lip 21 is formed on the end of the extension 6 to prevent the threads slipping off the strips.

The staggered arrangement of the strips 3 allows half the bobbins to deliver their threads to one side of the creel and the other half to the other side. As many rows of bobbins are arranged horizontally one above the other as can conveniently be reached .by the operative and the length of the creel between the vertical channel I is such as to enable the total desired number of bobbins to be accommodated. An eye 25 is provided for each thread and they are arranged in banks in the projecting members '26, there beamed, sufiicient space being left between the creels 28 to enable the operative to reach the bobbins. Preferably, the assembly of creels is disposed so as to taper slightly towards the warping mill 29 so as to enable all the threads from each creel to pass smoothly to the reed '30 of the mill.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A mounting for a bobbin or like package comprising a vertical spindle adapted to receive the package, bearings adapted to receive theends of said spindle, a member rotatable with said spindle, a thread guide, and carrying means adapted to permit said guide to be traversed lengthwise of the package by the thread during unwinding, said guide being adapted to move, when the thread fails. to support it, into contact with said member, thereby stopping the rotation of said member and the package.

2. A mounting for a bobbin or like package comprising a vertical spindle, a base on said spindle adapted to receive the package, bearings adapted to receive the ends of said spindle, a friction washer between the package andsaid base, through which washer said spindle is frictionally driven by the package, a member rotatable with said spindle,.a thread guide, and carrying means adapted to permit said guide to be traversed lengthwise of the package by the thread during unwinding, said guide being adapted tomove,.

when the thread .fails to support it, into contact with said member, thereby stopping the rotation of the spindle and, by the frictional resistance of said washer, the package.

3. A mounting for a bobbin or like package from a single package, and carrying means adapted to permit each of said guides to be traversed lengthwise of the pack-ageby its thread during unwinding and, upon failure of any thread, to allow the corresponding thread guide to move into contact with said member, thereby stopping the rotation of said member and the package.

4. A mounting for a bobbin or like package comprising a vertical spindle adapted to receive the package, bearings adapted to receive the ends of said spindle, a base on said spindle adapted to support the package, a projection on said base, a thread guide, and carrying means adapted to permit said guide to be traversed lengthwise of the package by the thread during unwinding, said guide being adapted to fall, when the thread fails to support it, into the path of said projection, thereby stopping the rotation of the spindle and, by the increased frictional resistance resulting, the package.

5. A mounting for a bobbin or like package comprising a vertical spindle adapted to receive the package, bearings adapted to receive the ends of said spindle, a base on said spindle adapted to support the package, a projection on said base, a friction washer between said package and said base through which washer said spindle is frictionally driven by said package, a thread guide, and carrying means adapted to permit said guide to be traversed lengthwise of the package by the thread during unwinding, said guide being adapted to fall, when the thread fails to support it, into the path of said projection, thereby stopping the rotation of the spindle and, by the frictional resistance of said washer, the package.

6. A mounting for a bobbin or like package comprising a vertical spindle adapted to receive the package, bearings adapted to receive the ends of said spindle, a base on said spindle adapted to support the package, a projection on said base, two vertical rods, means to support said rods and a thread guide freely mounted on said rods and supported by the thread, said guide being adapted to fall, when the thread fails to support it, into the path of said projection, thereby stopping the rotation of the spindle and, by the increased frictional resistance resulting, the package.

7. A creel or other package supporting device comprising a plurality of vertical spindles adapted to support the packages, bearings adapted to receive the ends of each of said spindles, a member rotatable with each of said spindles, a thread guide for each of said spindles, and carrying means adapted to permit the guides to be traversed lengthwise of the packages by their threads during unwinding, each guide being adapted to move, when its thread fails to support it, into contact with the corresponding rotatable member, thereby stopping the rotation of said member and the package.

8. A creel according to claim '7 wherein the member rotatable with each of said spindles is formed with aprojection into the path of which the corresponding thread guide is adapted to move.

9. A creel or other package supporting device comprising a frame, a series of horizontal members connected to said frame, a plurality of bearing carrying members connected to and disposed at right angles to said horizontal members, a plurality of vertical spindles disposed between said bearing carrying members and adapted to support the packages, bearings carried by said bearing carrying members and adapted to receive the ends of said spindles, a member rotatable with each of said spindles, a thread guide for each of said spindles, and carrying means adapted to permit the guides to be traversed lengthwise of their packages by their threads during unwinding, each guide being adapted to move, when its thread fails to support it, into contact with the corresponding rotatable member, thereby stopping the rotation of said member and the package.

WILLIAM POOL. 

